Cut-out for telephones.



UNITED STAT S Patented July 18, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN L. SMITH, OF RUTLEDGE, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SHERMANO. FORGUER, OF RUTLEDGE, MISSOURI.

CUT-OUT FOR TELEPHONES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No 795.072, dated July 18,1905.

Application filed June '7, 1904. Serial l lo 211,527.

To all whmn if; may concern:

, Be it known that I, MARTIN L. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rut ledge, in the county of Scotland and State of Missouri,have invented a new and useful Out-Out for Telephones, of which thefollow ing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in cut-outs for telephone-linesand the like where it is desirable to protect switchboards and delicateelectrical. instruments from injury during electrical storms.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an electricalcut-out which may be placed on the exterior of a building and operatedfrom within the building in order to positively break the circuit andprevent the passage of a direct current, as well as to pre vent sparkingbetween adjacent contacts during an electrical storm.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in a device ofthis class for the introduction of a sheet or block of rubber or somesimilar material between the separating con tacts.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a cut-out whichmay be employed in connection with a large number of contacts, all ofwhich may be operated by means of a single medium. I

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafterappear, the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangementof parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it beingunderstood that various chan es in the form, proportion, and minor deta's of the device maybe made without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of theouter portion of a cut-out constructed in accordance with the invention.Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same, showing the mechanismarranged within the interior of a building for operating the cut-out.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts throughout both figures of the drawings.

During electrical storms there is at all times danger of the line-wiresbecoming charged and damaging the switchboards at a central station orthe local tele hones or other instruments at different loca stations.The present invention is designed to prevent this by breaking thecircuit at a point outside the building-line and so arranging the partsthat in the event of any of the main lines being overcharged the currentwill be grounded.

On the exterior of the building is a pair of projecting brackets 1, tothe outer ends of which is secured a cross-bar 2, provided on its upperand lower surfaces or on one surface only with a sheet or slab 3, formedof rubber or other suitable insulating material. On the sheet or sheetsof insulating material are arranged any desired number of metalliccontact-strips 4, that are connected in any suitable manner to thevarious line-wires 5 entering the building. WVhere the contacts 4 arearranged both above and below the bar the ground-wire 5 is placed at apoint midway between the two sets of contacts and both ends of the saidwire may be grounded, if desired. The ground-wire is arranged a shortdistance from the contacts, so that currents may pass from any one ofsaid contacts to the ground. The inner faces of the brackets areprovided with guiding-slots 6, in which are arrangedhorizontallydisposed blocks 7, carrying a cross-bar 8, that is arrangedin parallel relation with the cross-bar 2 and is provided on its upperand lower faces with blocks or sheets of rubber or other insulatingmaterial. To the blocks or sheets of insulating material are securedspring-contacts 9, of a number equal to the number of contacts 4 anddisposed in such relation thereto that when the inner bar is movedoutward all of the contacts will be simulta neously brought intoengagement and the various circuits immediately established. From thecontacts 9 lead the local or indoor wires 11, that are connected to theswitchboard or to telephones or other instruments, the number ofcontacts and wires being of course dependent on the size of the station,or if only a single telephone is to be conducted it is necessary toemploy but a single pair of contacts.

To the transverse bar 8 is secured a rod 12, that extends through thewall of the building and is connected by a link 13 to one end of a lever14, that is pivoted at a point intermediate of its length to a bracket15, secured to the inner surface of the wall. The bracket is furtherprovided with an arcuate bar 16, extending between the lever and a smallguiding-plate 17, carried by the lever, and said plate carries asetscrew 18, which may be turned into engagement with the arcuate bar,thereby to clamp the lever in any position when adjusted. This lever maybe operated in either direction to move the contacts 9 into engagementwith the contacts 4 and establish the various circuits or to separatethe contacts from each other, and thus cut out all of the instruments.

To the opposite brackets 1 are pivoted bell-crank levers 20, that areconnected together for mutual movement 01 a transverse bar 21, and tosaid bar is connected a frame 22, that supports a sheet 23, formed ofrubher or some similar material. Theopposite arms of the bell-cranklever are slotted and receive pins 24, projecting from the guided blocks7, the arrangement being such that each time the inner contact-bar isdrawn back the pins, by engagement with the slotted portions of thebell-crank lever, will move the rubber sheet down to a position betweenthe contacts 4 and 9 and will prevent the passage of a spark, so thatthere will be no danger of the formation of a spark and the passage of acurrent through the instruments in the building. l/Vhen moved in theopposite direction, the sheet of rubber will be lirst raised, and as themovement of the bar continues the several contacts 9 will be moved intoenga ement with the contacts 4:, and

thus establish all of the circuits.

WVlnle the structure has been illustrated as providing a cut-out for alarge number of c1rcuits, it is evident that it may be used equally aswell in connection with only a single circuit-contact, or the number ofcontacts may be increased to an almost unlimited extent.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In anelectrical cut-out, a pair of contacts, one of which is movable towardand from the other, a pivotally-mounted 'l'rame including a pair o'lparallel arms and a crossbar, a sheet of insulating material carried bythe cross-bar, and means for connecting the arms to the movable contactto move said insulating-sheet between the two contacts as the latter areseparated.

2. In an electrical cutout, a stationary contact, a movable contact, acarrier-bar for the movable contact, a pair of bell-crank levers havingslotted arms, a sheet of noncon ducting material carried by thebell-crank levers, and pins operated by the contact-carrier bar, andextending into the slo 3. The combination in an electrical cutout, of apair of brackets, a bar secured there to, a plurality of contactscarried by the bar, a ground-line connection also carried by the bar ata point adjacent to the stationary contacts, a movable bar guided in thebrackets, a plurality of contacts carried. by the movable bar, a pair ofbell-crank levers lulcrumed to the brackets, a connecting-bar extendingbetween the bell-crank levers, a frame carried by said bar, a sheet ofnon-conducting mate rial secured to the frame, a pin-and-slot connectionbetween the movable bar and the bellcranklevers, an operating-lever, aconnectingrod extending between. the operating-lever and the movablebar, and means for clamping said operating-lever in adjusted position.

I11 testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in. the presence o'l two witnesses.

MARTIN L. SMITH.

Witnesses:

C. C. BRADLEY, E. E. WILSEY.

